Because it takes seven to form a coalition you idiot

ARCHIVES 2009

By admin-s On Oct 1, 2009

By Vijay Kumar Murugavell

EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar quoted “Why they (Pakatan) are still not registered puzzles me”.

First read this report by Bernama, my rant begins where the report ends

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/news_lite.php?id=443327

2009-09-30 16:28

PORT DICKSON, Sept 30 (Bernama) — The Election Commission (EC) will set up three enforcement teams comprising officers from the EC, police and local authorities as well as individuals representing the candidates to monitor the campaign for the Bagan Pinang by-election.

EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the teams would be answerable to the returning officer and would be deployed in polling districts throughout the constituency.

“They will be provided with work procedure guideline,” he told reporters after a briefing session with 277 EC officers involved in the by-election, here today.

He reminded political parties that only contesting parties were allowed to put up campaign paraphernalia.

“I am calling for cooperation from parties, which are not contesting, not to complicate things by going against the law. If these parties are not contesting, they are not paying any election deposit; why then should they put up their campaign materials?” he asked.

Wan Ahmad said that in the case of Barisan Nasional (BN), it was a registered party comprising 14 component members.

As far as the EC was concerned, he said, Pakatan Rakyat was non-existent.

Saying that the EC only recognised registered parties, he said, it would be up to the media if they wanted to use the term “Pakatan Rakyat”.

He stressed, however, that the pact was not a registered entity.

“Why they are still not registered puzzles me,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wan Ahmad said, the EC would ensure the postal voting was carried out in accordance with the law.

He said that the Bagan Pinang by-election would involve 4,604 postal voters.

“The polling process at army camps is the same; it’s only that they cast their votes much earlier, probably by Oct 8 or 9. It’s up to the camp management,” he said.

He also said that the EC would strive to address all doubts over the postal voting process.

“It is the rights of armed forces personnel to vote in elections and the law under which they can exercise these rights is through postal voting,” he said.

Wan Ahmad also said that the EC would fully enforce the campaign prohibition during polling day on Oct 11.

The Bagan Pinang by-election is called following the death of its incumbent assemblyman Azman Mohammad Noor of BN on Sept 4. The nomination is on Saturday.

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EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar quoted

“Why they (Pakatan) are still not registered puzzles me”.

I am PUZZLED that an EC deputy chairman does not know that the rules by ROS (Registrar of Societies) say that you need at least 7 components to register a coalition. In short, to register as a political coalition, Pakatan needs to have at least seven parties in its fold. And if Wan Ahmad does not know this, what is he doing in the Election Commission and as a deputy chairman no less?

It would be excusable if a taxi driver or pizza delivery boy (no disrespect to these professions) did not know this regulation, but it is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE for a deputy chairman of a body that oversees the electoral process.

If the deputy chairman is aware of this requirement and made such a pronouncement, it is even worse as it would mean that he is glaringly partisan.

Incredibly, after making such pronouncements Wan Ahmad expects us to have confidence that “EC would strive to address all doubts over the postal voting process.”

While he tries to imply campaign restrictions on PAS partners DAP and PKR, he is deafeningly silent on MSP (Makkal Sakhti Party). Leaders of the new MSP party have already pledged to campaign for BN in the upcoming Bagan Pinang by-election.

PM Najib was the VIP guest at the partys launch (Oct 10) which received recognition from the Registrar of Societies in a “matter of weeks” on 11th May,2009. This is nothing new as in the Permatang Pauh by-election Nallakaruppan’s MIUP (Malaysian Indian United Party) also received a speedy approval and was happily campaigning for BN.

I want to ask Wan Farid if he knows that MSP is not a party formally registered under the BN coalition, or is he going to plead ignorance to that as well ?

Actions speak louder than words. EC can walk the talk or forever stop boring us with declarations that the EC is neutral and non-partisan.

Which brings us to the existing regulation :

What is the rationale of needing 7 parties to form a coalition? Isn’t it time this law is reviewed? Obviously this ROS regulation is stifling. One can ask why not 6? Or for that matter why not 8, or were the drafters of that regulation inspired by the 7 colors of the rainbow?

In my opinion it should be changed to accommodate 2 because obviously you cannot have a coalition of 1 unless you are Hishamuddin Rais who declares that he is a Non-Governmental Individual. Luckily ROS did not demand that he register.

Back to my suggestion of allowing 2 parties to register as a coalition, the rationale besides the obvious 2 being the lowest denominator is that it will also conform in spirit to Article 10 of the Federal Constitution on freedom of association. There are already too many laws, ordinances and acts that run counter to the spirit of the constitution but that is another story for another day.

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